万鼠拜坟

我扒开众人扑上去一看，果然是我爸！

I pushed through the crowd to take a look, and sure enough, it was my dad!

只见他双眼禁闭，双手叠放在胸口，身上穿的，竟然是一身青色寿衣！

He lay there with his eyes closed, his hands folded over his chest, and surprisingly, he was wearing a green burial suit!

一眼看上去，他就和下葬时候的爷爷一模一样！

At first glance, he looked just like my grandpa did during his burial!

但是不同的是，他的脚上一只是穿着黑色布鞋——这是死人穿的寿鞋，一只则是老掉牙的解放鞋——这是我爸昨晚穿的鞋子，另一只在我大伯那里。

But the difference was that one of his feet was in a pair of black cloth shoes — the so-called "funeral shoes" worn by the dead — while the other foot was in an old pair of liberation shoes — the ones my dad had worn last night; the other shoe was with my uncle.

为什么我爸会躺在我爷爷的棺材里？爷爷的老屋这么多人同时开挖才挖开，我爸是怎么进去的？

Why was my dad lying in my grandpa's coffin? So many people had dug up the old house at once, how did my dad get in?

最关键的是，既然我爸躺在了棺材里，那我爷爷呢？！我爷爷的尸体去哪里了？

Most importantly, if my dad was lying in the coffin, then where was my grandpa?! Where had my grandpa's body gone?

“把人抬出来！”陈先生吩咐道。

"Bring him out!" Mr. Chen commanded.

大家合力将我爸抬出来，放在了平地里。我扑上去哭喊着叫着爸爸，可无论我怎么呼喊，我爸就是那样安详的躺在地上，一动不动，就好像是真的死了一样。

Everyone worked together to lift my dad out and laid him on flat ground. I rushed over, crying and calling my dad, but no matter how I cried out, my dad lay there so peacefully on the ground, motionless, as if he were really dead.

在那一刻，我感觉天旋地转，仿佛天都要塌了。

In that moment, I felt the world spinning, as if the sky were about to collapse.

陈先生从我大伯手里接过那只他昨晚捡到的解放鞋，交到我手里，让我去给我爸换上。

Mr. Chen took the liberation shoe he picked up last night from my uncle and handed it to me, telling me to change my dad's shoes.

我走过去蹲在我爸的脚边，陈先生蹲在我旁边，让我换鞋的动作慢一点，并喊我在心里默念十八遍，爸爸你回来。

I walked over, squatted by my dad's feet, and Mr. Chen squatted beside me, instructing me to move slower and to silently chant "Dad, come back" eighteen times in my heart.

我一边在心里默念，一边开始给我爸换鞋。我听见陈先生也在一旁小声呢喃着，好像是在说：“鞋分左右，路有阴阳，阴人走阴间路，阳人走阳间路，要是迷了路，赶紧快回头！”

As I silently chanted, I began to change my dad's shoes. I heard Mr. Chen quietly murmuring beside me, as if he were saying, "Shoes have left and right, roads have yin and yang; the dead walk the yin path, the living walk the yang path. If you lose your way, quickly turn back!"

陈先生话说的很慢，而且调子很奇怪，就好像是在唱歌一样。

Mr. Chen spoke slowly, and the tone was quite strange, almost like singing.

等我刚好念完十八遍，将鞋子换好的时候，陈先生也刚好说完最后一个“头”字。他说这个字的时候，左手在我爸的额头上狠狠的拍了一巴掌。

Just as I finished chanting eighteen times and changed the shoes, Mr. Chen finished saying the last word "head." When he said this word, he slapped my dad hard on the forehead with his left hand.

说来奇怪，陈先生这一掌拍下去，我爸噌的一下坐了起来，吓得周围的乡亲们往后退了好几步。

Strangely enough, when that slap landed, my dad suddenly sat up, scaring the villagers around him back a few steps.

“你们都看到我做啥子？”这是我爸醒来后的第一句话。

"What are you all looking at me for?" That was my dad's first sentence after waking up.

听到这话的我，再也忍不住扑上去抱住了我爸。

Hearing that, I couldn't help but rush over and embrace my dad.

自从上中学以后，我就再也没有抱过我爸，因为觉得难为情。没想到在大学快毕业的时候，竟然抱了一回我爸。

Since entering middle school, I hadn't hugged my dad anymore because I felt embarrassed. I never expected to hug him one last time just before graduating from university.

那个时候我就在想，趁着还有机会，还是要多陪陪二老，不要等到真的入了土，才后悔。

At that moment, I thought, while there's still a chance, I should spend more time with my parents and not wait until they're really in the ground to regret it.

解决了我爸的事情后，陈先生并没有急着让大家回去，而是让大家直接把坟给填了。

After resolving the issue with my dad, Mr. Chen didn't rush everyone to leave but instead had everyone fill the grave directly.

我大伯和二伯都非常焦急，连忙阻止。大伯说，是不是等找到了我爷爷的尸体，然后下葬了再填坟？

My uncle and second uncle were very anxious and quickly tried to stop him. My uncle said, "Shouldn't we wait until we find my grandpa's body, bury him, and then fill the grave?"

陈先生摇头叹息一声，讲这个地方不能再埋人咯。

Mr. Chen shook his head and sighed, saying this place couldn’t bury any more people.

大伯讲，这是我爹老子生前自己相中的地方，不止一次讲他死了以后一定要埋到这里。

My uncle argued that this was the place my father had personally chosen while he was alive and had mentioned more than once that he wanted to be buried here after he died.

你现在讲不能埋到这里，这要啷个办才好啥？

Now you say we can't bury here, what should we do?

我看得出，大伯对陈先生还是很信任的，他说这里不能再埋人，大伯其实是信了的。

I could see that my uncle had a lot of trust in Mr. Chen, and when he said no more people could be buried here, my uncle actually believed it.

更何况爷爷已经前后两次爬出了坟，而且现在的尸体都找不到了，大伯之前的坚持就更加动摇了。

Moreover, since my grandpa had twice crawled out of the grave and now we couldn’t even find his body, my uncle's insistence was further shaken.

但是爷爷生前对他的叮嘱，使得他很是矛盾。我从来没有见到一个快六十岁的老人会露出那么不知所措的表情。

But my grandpa's reminders when he was alive left him very conflicted. I had never seen a nearly sixty-year-old man show such a helpless expression.

他拿着旱烟袋蹲在地上，双手抱着自己的脑袋，无助的像是个孩子一样。

He squatted on the ground with his smoking pipe, holding his head in his hands, looking as helpless as a child.

可即便如此，陈先生的态度还是很坚决，讲这里不能埋人就是不能埋人。

Even so, Mr. Chen remained very firm, insisting that no more people could be buried here.

于是，在陈先生的指挥下，之前的那些壮汉又匆匆把坟给填了。这一次动作比较麻利，没多久就弄好了。

Thus, under Mr. Chen's direction, the strong men hurriedly filled the grave again. This time their movements were quicker, and in no time, it was done.

这个时候太阳已经下山，天渐渐黑了下来。我爸待在一边看着这一切，似乎还没有从昨晚的经历中回过神来，还在努力的回想着他昏迷的这一段时间内发生的事情。

By this time, the sun had set, and the sky was gradually darkening. My dad stood to the side, watching everything, seemingly still trying to process what had happened last night, trying to recall what transpired during his period of unconsciousness.

等坟的最后一捧土铲上去的时候，陈先生把我爸之前穿的那只黑色的寿鞋穿在他自己的脚上，然后来到坟上，用穿寿鞋的这只脚在坟土上先后跺了三次脚。

When the last shovel of dirt was placed on the grave, Mr. Chen wore the black funeral shoe that my dad had been wearing on his own foot and then went up to the grave, stomping three times on the grave soil with the foot wearing the funeral shoe.

他跺脚的时候，嘴里还念念叨叨的，但是隔得有点远，他声音又小，所以听不清楚他说的是什么。

As he stomped, he muttered something, but it was a bit far, and his voice was low, making it hard to hear what he said.

陈先生跺完脚之后，又把我爸之前穿的寿衣叠好，放在坟头，然后一把火给烧掉。

After Mr. Chen finished stomping, he neatly folded my dad's funeral suit and placed it at the head of the grave, then set it on fire.

我原本以为到这里就算是结束了。

I originally thought that was the end of it.

可是陈先生却再次招呼众人，喊大家把我爷爷的碑给倒过来立着。

However, Mr. Chen called everyone again, asking them to turn my grandpa's stone tablet over.

这一下，我大伯，二伯还有我爸都不愿意了。

At this, my uncle, second uncle, and dad all objected.

碑头朝天，灵魂升天；碑头朝地，落入地狱。

"Tablet facing the sky, the soul ascends; tablet facing the ground, it falls into hell."

这是村子里小孩子都知道的俗语，可是现在陈先生却要把我爷爷的碑倒过来，莫说是我大伯他们，就是我也不愿意啊。

This is a common saying known even to the village children, yet now Mr. Chen wanted to flip my grandpa's tablet over. Not just my uncle and them, but I didn’t want that either.

哪有这么诅咒我爷爷的？虽然我爷爷三番两次的爬出老屋躺在我的床上吓我，但是他毕竟没有伤害我，而且，他是我爷爷，我怎么可能允许这样的事情发生？

How could one curse my grandpa like this? Though my grandpa had scared me several times by crawling out of the old house and lying on my bed, he hadn't harmed me; after all, he was my grandpa, how could I allow such a thing to happen?

就算我是大学生，但是经历过这些之后，我对民间的这些俗语，充满了敬畏。

Even though I am a college student, after experiencing all this, I held great respect for these folk sayings.

陈先生的态度依旧很坚决，讲要是不把碑头倒过来竖起，以后出了事情，就莫再喊他陈恩义。

Mr. Chen's attitude remained resolute, saying that if they didn't turn the tablet over, if anything went wrong in the future, he wouldn’t be called Mr. Chen Enyi anymore.

大家都听得出来，陈先生的话讲的很重，基本上是没得商量的余地了。

Everyone could tell that Mr. Chen was saying this very seriously, leaving almost no room for discussion.

但是另一边是我爷爷，我大伯和我爸封建思想比较严重，一直不肯让大家动手。

However, my grandpa was on the other side. My uncle and dad held strong traditional beliefs and were reluctant to let anyone take action.

这个时候我二伯站了出来，讲，还是听陈先生的，眼看天就要黑了，赶紧把这件事情弄完，不然等到天真的黑了，恐怕又会生出其他的变故。

At this moment, my second uncle stood up and said, "Let's listen to Mr. Chen. It’s getting dark; we need to finish this matter quickly. Otherwise, if it really gets dark, other changes might occur."

再讲咯，爹老子一直从老屋里爬出来，你不怕，难道小阳就不怕咯？

He continued, "Given that your father keeps crawling out of the old house, you’re not scared; don’t tell me Little Yang isn't scared?"

二伯提到了我，大伯和我爸看了我一眼，什么也没说，只是低着头，算是默认了。

When my second uncle mentioned me, my uncle and dad glanced at me but didn't say anything, just lowering their heads, as if to silently agree.

陈先生赶紧招呼人来动手。碑本来就不大，三四个人就够了。

Mr. Chen quickly called for people to take action. The tablet was not very big; three or four people were enough.

等到碑倒着竖起来的时候，天明显的又黑了一层。

As they propped the tablet up upside down, the sky noticeably darkened even more.

我看见陈先生把自己脚下的两只鞋子脱下来，一手拿着一只，高高举起，然后重重的拍在碑的座基上（此刻的座基已经朝天）。

I saw Mr. Chen take off his two shoes and lifted one high in his hand before slamming it hard onto the base of the tablet (which was now facing the sky).

陈先生拍完三下之后，仰着头对天大喊：“入土为安，落地生根！”

After slamming three times, Mr. Chen looked up at the sky and shouted, "Rest in peace and take root!"

陈先生的话音刚落，我就听到周围一阵窸窸窣窣的声音，这声音一开始还很小很远，但是没多久一会儿，这声音就渐渐的变大，而且越来越近。

The moment Mr. Chen's voice fell, I heard a rustling sound from around us; at first, it was faint and distant, but before long, the sound gradually grew louder and closer.

不止我一个听到了，大家都听到了，而且这种奇怪的声音大家应该都没听到过，所以都有些害怕。

I wasn't the only one who heard it; everyone heard it, and since it was such a strange sound, it made everyone a bit frightened.

那些壮汉手里握着锄头，一副随时要打架的样子。

The strong men held their hoes, looking like they were ready to fight at any moment.

四周的草丛开始动了起来，就好像有什么东西要钻出来一样。

The grass around us began to stir as if something were about to emerge.

我看了一眼陈先生，发现他脸上的表情都要纠结的滴出水来，另一只手的大拇指不断的在其余四根指头那里点来点去，就好像在算着什么东西。

I glanced at Mr. Chen and found his expression twisted and anxious; one thumb kept tapping on the other four fingers, as if he were counting something.

随着声音的越来越大，人群里已经开始有人慌了。

As the sound grew louder, some people in the crowd began to panic.

我二伯和村支书一个劲的喊莫慌，万事有陈先生到。

My second uncle and the village secretary kept shouting for everyone to stay calm, saying that everything would be fine with Mr. Chen around.

草丛被扒开，大家看清楚是什么东西——老鼠！成百的老鼠！

The grass was pushed aside, and we finally saw what it was — mice! Hundreds of mice!

它们从四面八方扑过来，并不害怕我们，而是直接从我们的脚下穿过去，然后停到坟边上，一圈又一圈，把坟给围了个水泄不通。

They rushed toward us from all directions, not afraid of us at all, but ran straight through our feet and gathered at the edge of the grave in circles, surrounding it completely.

你能想象那个画面吗？

Can you imagine that scene?

所有的老鼠黑漆漆的铺满了一地，它们安静的一点声响都没有发出，就那么趴在地上。

All the mice swarmed on the ground, black as night, and they didn't make a sound, simply lying there.

安静的让人寒毛全部竖了起来。

So silent it sent chills down my spine.

突然间，所有的老鼠全部站起来！是的，站起来！它们用后面的两条腿支撑着，整个身子立了起来。

Suddenly, all the mice stood up! Yes, they stood up! They balanced on their hind legs and raised their whole bodies.

前面的两只脚不断的从下往上捋着它们的胡须。

The front pair of legs kept combing their whiskers from the bottom up.

那胡须，看上去，就好像是三炷香一样立在天地间。它们动作虔诚而统一，一遍又一遍，不厌其烦！

Those whiskers looked like three incense sticks standing on earth and sky. Their movements were devout and unified, repeating over and over again, tirelessly!

所有人都看傻了！在场没有一个人看到过这样的场景！

Everyone was dumbfounded! Not a single person had seen such a scene!

陈先生突然极其惊恐的“啊”的一声大叫，整个身子都开始颤抖起来，战战兢兢的喊了一声：“万鼠拜坟，有死无生！快跑！快跑！快跑！”

Mr. Chen suddenly let out a terrified scream, trembling all over, and shouted in fear, "Hundreds of mice bowing to the grave, the dead among the living! Run! Run! Run!"